People in the park. Image Source.
Many of us will agree that sometimes our days can feel long but the years are definitely short. Who else feels that time just escapes them? So it is no surprise that before we know it, we are going to be thinking about retirement and the years beyond working and caring for a family. However, this should not be a time of your life to fear, you should be looking forward to those golden years. Here are a few suggestions to help put your mind at ease.
Make plans
Making plans for your retirement and the years beyond should be a fun thing to do. It is the one stage in your life when you are blessed with time. Something we do not get much of, I am sure you will agree. This is the stage in your life when your kids are grown up and leading their own lives. It is a chance for you and your partner to get your lives back. So why not start to plan for this stage of your life? Take a moment to think about what you might do. Will you travel and see the world? Will you try to experience new and exciting things? A great way to record all of this down is to create a bucket list. Make a note of everything you want to do with life. This way you have something to refer to when the time comes.
Consider where you live
The chances are you will have bought your home and settled some roots somewhere. When buying a property, we consider all kinds of reasons as to why it is the perfect place, but do we take into consideration our retirement or are perhaps when we are less mobile? Most of us fear this stage because we feel we may not be able to live in the home we love and have worked hard to get. However, that will not necessarily be the case. Instead, think about all the ways you could make your home work for you. Bear in mind that if the movement becomes difficult, or the stairs become a problem, there are ways to resolve the issue. Perhaps considering things like raise lift services. It does not matter that your home is over a few floors, there are plenty of ways you can adapt your home for later life, so stop worrying about it.
Think about the financial situation
Finances can be a tricky subject to plan for or discuss. This is because, during everyday life we work, we pay bills, we save as much as we can, but most of all we live. Not many of us think about the financial situation we will have in our future. The earlier you think about this, the better position you will be in. This means considering investing in pensions, properties, and savings. Thankfully, a lot of employers nowadays will offer some sort of pension scheme, but that doesn’t mean to say you can’t think outside of the box and get something yourself.
If you can, get on the property ladder at your earliest convenience and ensure you save what you can where you can. You will be thankful of this in later life, as you will be able to enjoy the life and time you have; doing all the things you want to do.
Finally, remember it is a brand new chapter in your life. So treat it like that. It is the start of a new phase of exciting times and not something to be feared.
